Horse Riders Participate in Comanche Nation Fair Trail Ride

Horse riders gathered at Medicine Bluff on Friday, Sept. 27, for a trail ride to Comanche Nation Fair.

Coordinator William Morgan Tosee said he got the idea from the Warrior Run.

“We thought, ‘Wow, it'd be a good deal if we could ride horses from those areas to here,’” he said. “But then we got to thinking, ‘Well, we didn't know how many horses we would use.’ So, then we said, ‘Well, we'll just do it for Medicine Bluff since Medicine Bluff is one of our sacred places, too. And we'd ride from there this first year to see how it goes.’ And then, as we're talking about it, we said, ‘Well, we might just keep it as a straight run.’”

Tosee said it took about three or four years of planning.

“We said, ‘Well, let's do it.’ We finally, we sat down and talked and said, ‘Well, we're going to do it,’” he said.

Tosee said there’s also history to the ride.

“It happened to be the same time as 150 years ago tomorrow, the 28th; it'd be when the government slaughtered the horses at Palo Duro Canyons out there trying to do away with our Indian people,” he said. “There were Comanches, and there was other tribes out there, and they slaughtered over a thousand head of horses. And we're Comanches, and we're horse people. So, we wanted to do that to bring it back.”

Tosee said they were expecting 20 riders, including Tosee descendants, KCA and other tribes, as well as nonnatives who participate in the rodeos.

“My favorite part today was actually being at the Bluffs on the north side and just thinking about all of our folks that came there and was there before us,” he said. “And then, as we were riding off, and I shedded tears a little bit, just thinking about our folks that were not here no more and what they went through back then in those times. And then, as we were riding down the road and looking out and, it was a nice pretty day, and you could see all the little hills and things like that there. In a car, you just zoom on through, but on a horse, you could take it all in. And it was pretty.”

Tosee said it was an emotional ride toward the end.

“And then when we come over the hill over here by Apache Gate, and then you can see the Comanche fair, see all the teepees and the camps,” he said. “And then you just, and then when we came up the road and seeing all the camps, just imagine all of our Indians back then, all their camps, coming into the camps. And it made me feel good, and cried a little bit again. It was all happy tears to see that.”

Comanche Nation Chairman Forrest Tahdooahnippah, Comanche Nation Vice Chairman Diana Gail Doyebi-Sovo, Tribal Administrator Lisa Dawsey, Comanche Nation Business Committee members and Moses Brings Plenty also participated in the ride.

Comanche Nation Princess Bluesky Tosee and Jr. Princess Arlene Schonchin also participated in the event.